The dust has settled, what's your assessment of the 920/820?

Until someone has a 920 and an Ativ in their hand and does a true side by side comparison it's a bit difficult to say which is the better phone. Unless some of those that are so negative toward Nokia have had an exclusive opportunity to do this comparison already?

Easy choice for me. At first I was really liking the Samsung, but the more I looked at it, it screamed out GS3, and I'm just not fond of the design at all. I had the Samsung Focus and Omnia 7, before getting the Lumia 900. Once Nokia showed off the 920 and all the features, it was a clear cut winner for me. My only grip is not having the Cyan or a deeper blue color, so having to decide on which color will be my hardest decision. Also, another factor, is the support that Nokia puts in behind their products is the best. And their drive to bring developers to the WP platform is outstanding. Nokia just keep pulling at these developers and getting them to build more apps for WP, when the other OEMs, have not brought over one developer/app to our platform(maybe I'm missing one, but I can't think of a single one). I love the design on the 920, wasn't really too impressed with the 820.
Now, I will wait to see what HTC will bring to the table. I will say, I do love the design of the HTC One X and is by far my favorite device on the Android platform. So if HTC could come with a similar design like that for a WP8 device, I will probably switch back and forth as my daily driver for a smartphone.

First, let's dispel the thought the 900 didn't do well because of ATT didn't market the device or because people didn't like the design. It was selling so well at one point Nokia couldn't keep up. And Nokia is one of the largest phone manufactures in the world, not quite as big as Samsung anymore, but still on,the top 5. So people must have liked it. In April 2012 it sold 1.4 million phones. Now i know that's nothing compared to 20 million in 100 days, but one thing went against the Nokia Lumia 900. The 900 was a WP7 destined to be a WP7 forever. I don't know when that was announced, but it probably was within the first 100 days. And everyone knew a bigger better phone (now known as the 920) was on it's way. And that was on day one.

As a side note, this design was first seen on the N9. Just never in the US till 900.

And to answer the question, i am waiting to hear about the next iPhone to see how it compares. If it can compare and go head to head with that phone, it will do fine. I believe it can, and will.

And on the design ... I haven't heard too many complaints, in fact most people love it. So why change a good thing?

First, let's dispel the thought the 900 didn't do well because of ATT didn't market the device or because people didn't like the design. It was selling so well at one point Nokia couldn't keep up. And Nokia is one of the largest phone manufactures in the world, not quite as big as Samsung anymore, but still on,the top 5. So people must have liked it. In April 2012 it sold 1.4 million phones. Now i know that's nothing compared to 20 million in 100 days, but one thing went against the Nokia Lumia 900. The 900 was a WP7 destined to be a WP7 forever. I don't know when that was announced, but it probably was within the first 100 days. And everyone knew a bigger better phone (now known as the 920) was on it's way. And that was on day one.

As a side note, this design was first seen on the N9. Just never in the US till 900.

And to answer the question, i am waiting to hear about the next iPhone to see how it compares. If it can compare and go head to head with that phone, it will do fine. I believe it can, and will.

And on the design ... I haven't heard too many complaints, in fact most people love it. So why change a good thing?

Yep. Nokia will probably be able to hold onto a rump base of overseas fans. But their devices and launch strategy aren't competitive in North America, and Microsoft needs to have some success in North America to drive adoption and development.

HTC has been wildly successful in the past in the USA; Samsung is wildly successful now. Nokia has been barely available in the USA for most of the last decade. That's why MS's decision not to push Samsung and HTC hard is so baffling.

Yep. Nokia will probably be able to hold onto a rump base of overseas fans. But their devices and launch strategy aren't competitive in North America, and Microsoft needs to have some success in North America to drive adoption and development.

HTC has been wildly successful in the past in the USA; Samsung is wildly successful now. Nokia has been barely available in the USA for most of the last decade. That's why MS's decision not to push Samsung and HTC hard is so baffling.

Microsoft partnership with Nokia was done because they want to expand in the overseas market. Nokia is doing this to get into our market in the states, and i believe it's going to work. Look at Samsung, with the Ativ S. It brings nothing special. No release dates. Regular charging and screen that doesn't allow you to use gloves (which, apparently, Apple is rumored to be using themselves). Nokia, sure no release date or price, but they are bringing new technology and features ... Such as wireless charging, Pureview Optics, Pureview HD+ screen with super sensitive touch, and exclusive apps that actually make it hard for me to buy a Samsung Ativ S, or other Windows Phones.

This is what should have been the first Lumia 900, but this phone coming now ... Competing against the the iPhone 6 ... Is the best time for it.

And you still forgetting the Lumia 900, although a flagship, always had a shadow of WP8 and the better specs that will bring at the end of the year.

I don't care about weight or thickness. Regarding the common Joe, I would say that some would care and others wouldn't. In the store it is difficult to gauge weight since the phones are usually tethered to security apparatus. Perhaps everything else about the phone would be more important than weight or thickness? The average Joe could always choose the 820 instead. I imagine Nokia will have more coming as well.

For me, it's a no go on any of the WP8's until I see one with a landscape slider keyboard.

Excellent post that got right to what was asked: What you like, what you don't, what you are not sure of. Thanks.

Man, I can hardly wait for November/December to get here so we can have these debates for real. Right now, it is all off of spec sheets, best guesses, past experiences, and You Tube videos. As it sits right now, Nokia dedication to WP, excellent looking designs, bringing apps to the WP ecosystem (ESPN Radio, PayPay, ect), and support for their devices have nudged them ahead of the Samsung ATIV with me despite my love for my Focus S. But, this is like arguing which car manufacturer is better by watching their commercials during a football game. No test drive, no buy. If I play with a 920 and the ATIV blows it away in my world, makes it easy.

And if we do not even know if these devices will come to a carrier near us, why even get worked up?

Wow, people are complaining that it's heavy? Have you ever owned a light phone? I own a Samsung Focus S. It's as light as a feather, and completely gives off the impression that it's a cheap, plastic, mass-produced device. Which it is. It's one of the main negatives about this phone. I take off the battery cover off this device and I'm dissapointed at how flimsy and crappy this thing is put together. The screen is nice, but there's more to it than that.

I go and pick up an iPhone 4s and it feels so, so much better due to the extra weight quality of materials. It feels like a premium device. The Samsung feels like a mass-produced Toyota Corolla whereas the iPhone feels like an AMG mercedes.

Give me a break about the weight. I've owned an iPhone, BB Bold, and Samsung Focus S. Each for 2 years. The iPhone by far felt the best despite being the heaviest. In fact, the heaviness played a large part in how solid the device feels.

WP OS is a great OS, better than any out there IMO, and I'm glad a manufacturer is finally delivering quality devices. When my contracts up I would choose a 920 over Ativ S, hands down. No question. The Ativ S is a one in a billion clone of every other Samsung phone out there. Only plus I see with the Ativ S is the removable storage.

Wow, people are complaining that it's heavy? Have you ever owned a light phone? I own a Samsung Focus S. It's as light as a feather, and completely gives off the impression that it's a cheap, plastic, mass-produced device. Which it is. It's one of the main negatives about this phone. I take off the battery cover off this device and I'm dissapointed at how flimsy and crappy this thing is put together. The screen is nice, but there's more to it than that.

I go and pick up an iPhone 4s and it feels so, so much better due to the extra weight quality of materials. It feels like a premium device. The Samsung feels like a mass-produced Toyota Corolla whereas the iPhone feels like an AMG mercedes.

Give me a break about the weight. I've owned an iPhone, BB Bold, and Samsung Focus S. Each for 2 years. The iPhone by far felt the best despite being the heaviest. In fact, the heaviness played a large part in how solid the device feels.

WP OS is a great OS, better than any out there IMO, and I'm glad a manufacturer is finally delivering quality devices. When my contracts up I would choose a 920 over Ativ S, hands down. No question. The Ativ S is a one in a billion clone of every other Samsung phone out there. Only plus I see with the Ativ S is the removable storage.

I might be ok with the weight of the 820 (160gr), but we have to wait untill it hits the stores. The 185gr of the 920 is serious weight to drag around. I do agree that weight adds to the premium feel, to some extent. My ancient 3210 feels sturdy with 153gr, my guess is that 185gr is just too much.

I'd rather compare iPhones with Audi's. They all look the same from the front with the same "innovative" design and premium prices.